Patty Tawatanakit and Jake Knapp worked hard to win by one stroke at the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour’s Grant Thornton Invitational.
The pair hit the ground running on day one, where they bogeyed their first nine holes en route to a 14-under 58.
Tawatanakit and Knapp actually extended their lead to two strokes on day two as they carded a 66 to lead the leaderboard at 20 under.
The final round saw them shoot a 7-under 65 in the modified four-ball format to finish at 27 under.
Gino Tithikul and Tom Kim tied for 26 under and Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia tied for third at 25 under.
The mixed team event, featuring PGA and LPGA Tour stars at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., uses three different formats over three rounds and ends with a modified four-ball, where both players hole and change balls before playing the same the ball until it is punctured.
Tavatanakit and Knapp admitted that it was not easy to find On day two, as inclement weather made play difficult in the southernmost US state, a positive attitude was vital for the pair.
I feel like I just always tried to give Jake a lot of security out there and just tell him to send it,” Tawatanakit said.
“I’ve been doing well this week and I just feel like it’s been fun. I feel like our chemistry is really, really good. We’ll just talk about a lot of crazy golf stuff.”
For the win, the couple will share a $1 million cash prize.
What is the Grant Thornton Invitational?
The 54-hole competition is a mixed team event in which 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour professionals compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament.
The three-day tournament offers three different team play formats and allows a field of 32 players to compete for equal prize money and visibility.
It’s the second straight year the tournament has been on the schedule, which began in 2023 as the first co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour since the 1999 JCPenney Classic.
Watch the Grant Thornton Invitational all weekend live on Sky Sports Live coverage of the third round starts on Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more via NOW.
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